I had a family event looming on my horizon in #Oceanside so I wanted to check out some local breweries while I was there. I had more than an hour to kill before I had to be somewhere and the closest brewery was also the one that would’ve been my first choice: Oceanside Brewing Company. I like when the town is in the name.
A little sign above the door and a “BEER HERE” sandwich chalk board 
let you know you have arrived at the Oceanside Brewing Company. There isn’t much parking but we got a place up front. TGFHP. That’s Thank God For Handicap Parking.
A couple with two kids walked in as we were getting out of the car so I knew OBC was kid-friendly right off the bat (you should see the disgusted look on my face as I type that). I could also see the wagging tail and rear end of a dog so I knew they were dog-friendly as well. 
Here’s a pic of the awesome fur baby I got to meet. I will take dogs over kids any day of the week, lol.
@oceansidebrewingco has an extensive menu board with no less than 22 brews on tap. There is literally something for everyone.
There were a couple of beers I wanted to try but I was drawn to the New England style Desert Storm IPA which measured 6.7% ABV. It was delicious with a citrus, grapefruit taste and stuffed with hops. The Old Man tried a Corps IPA that came in at 6.8%. It was interesting. The Corps tasted more like a brown ale when we first sipped it but then the mellow hoppyness came forward and it tasted more like the American IPA it was billed as.
I complemented the brewtender/brewer on the Desert Storm and he told me a funny anecdote. As regular readers will remember in my review of House of Pendragon, the New England or hazy style IPA is a fairly new type of craft beer to hit the market. He said that the NE IPA is kind of a little joke among brewers who usually work very hard on getting clear, filtered beer. And then some guy from Maine comes out with this “hazy,” unfiltered beer and it’s all the rage. The brewer liked it because it shaved a couple of weeks off the brewing process by not having to filter out all the remnants. And he said it was a popular choice so the general public seems to approve.
We wanted to go drink al fresco because the breeze was so nice & cooling but both entrances to the back patio were chained off. As we stood there, contemplating the chain, the brewtender told us beers weren’t allowed out back and hadn’t been for six months as they battled with the ABC about the zoning. The ABC are a bunch of dicks. They were on the verge of having it all worked out and he said the back would be open for drinking in just a week.
OBC has a few games to play as well as some brew-crafting reading material. The large wooden chess set was attractive and looked inviting if you are smart enough to know the game. I’m not.
There are t-shirts for sale but I think they’re a bit overpriced at $25. 
I left the Oceanside Brew Co. wanting more. It’s a #roadtrip there but not too far from #Anaheim so I am sure I will be back. There are more brews to sample and some outback patio fresh air & sunshine to soak up. I love California.
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